diff --git a/.claude/skills/testing/SKILL.md b/.claude/skills/testing/SKILL.md
index c64dad41..5207db6e 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/testing/SKILL.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/testing/SKILL.md
@@ -47,11 +47,14 @@ They sit there for the node env and the 30s timeout, not because they connect 
 placement is the project manifest, so it cannot also be the fixture trigger.
 Ask what the test *does*, not where it lives.
 
-When it does apply, the test drives a **real server over a real transport, never
-a mock**, and picking the fixture, building it, and connecting with the right
-protocol era is a procedure this skill does not carry. Writing one without
-`test-servers` means hand-rolling a fixture that already exists, or mocking the
-thing the tier exists to avoid mocking.
+**In the connecting case**, the test drives a **real server over a real
+transport, never a mock**, and picking the fixture, building it, and connecting
+with the right protocol era is a procedure this skill does not carry. Writing
+one without `test-servers` means hand-rolling a fixture that already exists, or
+mocking the thing the tier exists to avoid mocking. **In the build-only case**,
+none of the transport or protocol-era guidance applies — what you need from
+`test-servers` is how to build the fixture and why a stale build keeps serving
+old code.
 
 ## Where the test file goes